1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic percussion instrument used for playing a melody by percussion operation similar to that in playing an acoustic percussion instrument such as a zylophone, marimba and the like, and more particularly, to an electronic percussion instrument capable of storing and/or reproducing a melody performance state and a chord performance state in real time.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent, rapid developments of electronic technology and digital technology, various types of electronic percussion instruments have been developed, which electronically generate particular musical tones in response to percussion operation. These electronic percussion instruments can be classified into five types of instruments, such as (A) an electronic percussion instrument of a drum type, (B) an electronic percussion instrument of a drum stick type, (C) an electronic percussion instrument of a guitar type, (D) an electronic percussion instrument of a step-on type and (E) an electronic percussion instrument of a sound plate type.
Among the above mentioned electronic percussion instruments, any of the electronic percussion instrument of a drum type, the electronic percussion instrument of a drum stick type and the electronic percussion instrument of a guitar type is not capable of selectively generating a musical tone having a particular tone pitch in response to striking operation. Therefore, these instruments can not be used for playing melodies and chords. On the contrary, the above mentioned electronic percussion instrument of a step type and electronic percussion instrument of a sound plate type are capable of selectively generating a musical tone having a particular tone pitch in response to striking operation or stepping operation. Therefore, these instruments can be used for playing moldies and chords.
The electronic percussion instrument of a drum type (A) is a musical instrument which has a drum, to the struck portion of which a vibration sensor is attached, and which generates relevent acoustic signals or musical tones on the basis of output signals output from the vibration sensor in response to striking operation. This type of electronic percussion instruments are disclosed in, for example, the following patent publications:
(1) Japanese Utility Model Disclosure (Kokai) No. 58-16693 (disclosed on Feb. 1, 1983), inventor: Kunihiko Watanabe, applicant: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha)
(2) U.S. Pat. Nos. 4581972 and 4581973 (issued on Apr. 15, 1986, inventor: Yoshiki Hoshino, assignee: Hoshino Gakki)
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 4418598 (issued on Dec. 6, 1983, inventor: Scott S. Klynas, assignee: Mattel, Inc.)
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 4479412 (issued on Oct. 30, 1984, inventor Scott S. Klynas, assignee: Mattle, Inc.)
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 4679479 (issued on July 14, 1987, inventor: Hisakazu Koyamato, assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha)
(6) Japanese Utility Model Disclosure (Kokai) No. 60-76399 (disclosed on May 28, 1985, inventor: Eiichiro Aoki, applicant: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha)
Technology relating to the present invention is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4781097 (issued on Nov. 1, 1988, inventors: Shigeru Uchiyama et al., assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd. the same assignee of the present invention.)
The above described electronic percussion instrument of a drum stick type (B) is an electronic musical instrument which outputs relevent acoustic signals or musical tone signals on the basis of output signals output from a stick shape striking member such as a drum stick and a mallet. This stick shape striking member is provided with a vibration sensor which generates output signals to be used for the above musical instrument in response to striking and/or swinging operation of the same. This type of the electronic musical instruments are disclosed in, for example, the following patent publication:
(1) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-5912 (published on Feb. 22, 1984, inventor: Shouiti Momobe, applicant: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha)
(2) Japanese Pat. Disclosure (Kokai) No. 62-96996 (disclosed on May 6, 1987, inventor: Yoshiyuki Murata, applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.)
(3) Japanese Utility Model disclosure (Kokai) No. 62-116300 (disclosed on July 23, 1987, inventor: Shinji Nagumo, applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.)
(4) U.K. Patent Application GB2183076A (disclosed on May 28, 1987, inventor: Ian Barry Tragen, applicant: Ian Barry Tragen.)
This type of an electronic percussion instrument is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 053384 (filed on May 22, 1987, inventors: Yukio Kashio et al, assigneee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd. the same assignee of the present application)
The above mentioned electronic percussion instrument of a guitar type (C) is an electronic musical instrument of a guitar shape, which is provided with manual switches and is caused to generate musical tone signals having particular timbre in response to striking operation when the manual switches are struck. This type of electronic musical instruments are disclosed in, for example, the following patent publications:
(1) Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 62-157092 (disclosed on July 13, 1987, inventor: Sigeru Imura applicant: Sony Corp.)
(2) PCT International Disclosure No. WO 86/01927 (disclosed on March 27, 1986, inventor: Jones, Peter, Stephan, applicant: Dynacord Electronic Und Geratebau Gmbh & Co., Kg)
The above electronic percussion instrument of a step-on type (D) is an electronic musical instrument which has a flexible mat within which is arranged a plurality of flexible switches in order of the tone scale and which is caused to generate musical tones each having a corresponding tone pitch when the flexible switches are stepped on. This type of electronic musical instruments are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4121488 (issued on Oct. 24, 1978, inventor: Kakunosuke Akiyama, assignee: Nep Company, Ltd.)
The above-mentioned electronic percussion instrument of a sound plate type (E) is an electronic musical instrument which has a set of sound plates arranged in order of tone pitch and each provided with a pressure sensor and which is caused to generate musical tones each having a tone pitch corresponding to the struck sound plate when the sound plates are struck with a mallet. This type of electronic percussion instruments are disclosed in, for example, the following patent disclosure:
(1) Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 61-239299 (disclosed on Oct. 24, 1986, inventors: Akihiko Takeuchi et al, applicant: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha.)
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 3546353 (issued on Dec. 8, 1970, inventor: Georges Jenny, assignee: Societe a Responsabitte Limitee dite)
(3) Japanese Utility Model Disclosure (Kokai) No. 59-94399 (disclosed on June 27, 1984, inventor: Ziro Aimono, applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.)
None of the above mentioned conventional electronic percussion instruments, however, is capable of storing in real time tone pitch data corresponding to the struck members in accordance with striking operation or is capable of reading out in real time the stored tone pitch data to sequentially reproduce musical tones each having a tone pitch corresponding to the read out tone pitch data.
Therefore, it was impossible for a beginner player to exercise a percussion performance, listening to a model percussion performance given by a musician which has been recorded or impossible to check poor portions in his percussion operation listening to his own percussion performance. As a result, it was difficult to effectively exercise a percussion performance. Note that the electronic percussion instrument described in the above mentioned Japanese Utility Model Disclosure (Kokai) Nos. 58-16693 and 60-76399, and U.S. Pat. No. 4418598 is capable of storing in real time output signals generated by the vibration sensor or a touch sensor provided on the drum, but is not capable of selectively generating musical tones each having a particular tone pitch in response to percussion operation. Therefore, this electronic musical instrument can not store melody data and chord data in real time.
The electronic percussion instrument described in the above Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 61-23929 can be controlled to switch timbre of a musical tone to be generated, stop sounding of a musical tone and add tremolo, vibrato, sustain effects and the like to musical tones by operating switches provided on the instrument body. Therefore, in this electronic musical instrument, various timbre of performance by percussion operation can be enjoyed and a variety of performance expressions can be realized. However, in this electronic percussion instrument, the musical tone parameters for timbre, various effects and the like are set by operating switches provided on the instrument body. Therefore, it is difficult to change characters of musical tone being sounded without causing any trouble in performance, while the player is playing the percussion instrument with mallets in both his hands.
In the electronic percussion instrument disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 61-239299, striking intensity and striking position on the sound plate are detected and the musical tone characters such as tone pitch, timbre, tone volume, i.e, musical tone parameters are controlled in accordance with the detected striking intensity and striking positions. Therefore, in this percussion instrument, without operation of various switches provided on the instrument body, the musical tone characters can be controlled depending on the method for playing the instrument. However, the characters of a musical tone are determined at the time of striking operation. As a result, it is impossible to control or change the parameters of a musical tone being sounded.